The only RED Dragon Fruit (aka pitaya or pitahaya or strawberry pear) that I am used to were those with RED SKIN and WHITE FLESH (Hylocereus undatus). It tasted a bit bitter to me and I didn’t like the after-taste. Other reports said it tastes like a mix of kiwi fruit and watermelon.

I didn’t take notice of it other than eating what was being served to me until a friend shared about its benefits and salad recipe. As it is beneficial to health, I posted it here under “Why Dragon Fruit?“. Only then did I notice that there is a RED SKIN Dragon Fruit with RED FLESH (Hylocereus polyrhizus) variation.

Now I also found out that there is YELLOW SKIN variety (Selenicereus megalanthus) and with only white flesh.

The taste of the red flesh variety is sweeter and the after taste is great to me. Other reports said it tastes like raspberries. I will usually eat 1 whole fruit (about 300-500gm) willingly which I normally won’t with other fruits. However, it is not that common as they are in Malaysia.

Yesterday, at a neighborhood market, I saw red Dragon fruit selling at a stall and as usual, only white flesh variety was on sale at S$1.50 (approx. US$1) per fruit. When asked, the seller said that white flesh variety is preferred by most consumers because those who consumed are paranoid about the reddish variation of urine or stools that they will pass out after consumption. They are apparently worried that the red flesh is a result of genetic modification, adding of artificial coloring or preservatives, etc.

This red “symptom” happened only if one eats quite a bit, a fruit or so as I have experienced myself.

Exporters in Malaysia for pitaya explained that the color is 100% natural and that it is not genetically modified or dyed red. The color comes from natural pigments known as hylocerenin and isohylocerenin and is also known to have natural florescent property. That makes the red flesh variety prettier when served.

If one were to eat a lot of blackberries or those fruits with such pigmentation, the output into the toilet bowl will be similar. However, how many people eat 0.5kg or more of such berries?

Yet, red flesh variety is more expensive and they are sold here in kilogram (S$4-S$5 per kg) instead of by quantity. I recently bought 2 red flesh fruits for close to S$4.00 (approx US$2.80).

Malaysian exporters justified the higher cost to its benefits. One reported that “Eating red-fleshed pitaya fruit was reported to increase bone density, prevent colon cancer and ease constipation. This can explained why red pitaya cost more expensive as compared to white pitaya“.

It was also reported that the red flesh variety is believed to be rich in antioxidants and has an exceptionally high content of soluble fiber. It is considered a good source of vitamin C and its vitamin C is more easily absorbed than vitamin C from a pill supplement. Some bloggers swear that it helps to lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes.

Well, anyone out there got a health benefit comparison report between the red and white flesh? Ahh, don’t forget the yellow skin.

Meanwhile, I will still go for the Red Flesh Red Dragon Fruit whenever possible.

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56 Responses to “Why is red flesh Dragon Fruit more expensive & less popular ?”

I got hooked on to eating the red version of the dragon fruit after being introduced to it by a friend a couple of months ago. I eat about 1 whole fruit each day. However I find that my bowel movements have changed drastically, not only my stools are red but I visit the toiled after every meal. This has been bothering me but I cant stay away from the fruit. I was so glad to read about your comments, especially about the red colour of the stools and urine. Yet I am still a bit apprehensive about the fruit though I cant stop eating it. Any comments to add. Thank you.

I heard a doctor said that a good digestive system is that ‘How many meal you have a day is how many times you have stools’. Digestive system is very important to our health. If you have a good digestive system, it can say that you avoid 80% of diseases.

I wonder if any scientific research has been conducted on the health benefits of the Red Dragon Fruit? I’m a big fan but has recently been worried about its genetic status. Your article does help reassure me a bit but at this point, I’m going to do the Red Dragon Fruit with moderation, applying the golden rule “Moderation is key”!

It really takes no effort. Just put the flesh (with the seeds) in a pot of dirt and water so that the soil is moist. Most easy germination process ever! The sprouts will pop up enmass so you’ll have as many plants as you want. It is a cactus so it really doesn’t need much care, just lots of sunlight. The plant limbs don’t like sitting on moist soil so if you look online for pictures, you will see that most plants are elevated so that their long, flexible limbs can hang freely.

I haven’t tasted the purple-fleshed dragon fruit yet. But your right the white-fleshed one isn’t that tasty. Looking forward to trying the purple thing. Anyone interested in importing dragon fruits? Im from the Philippines, and my family plans to start a dragon fruit plantation. We’ll plant red and white-fleshed variants, and possibly we’ll include the yellow-skinned one. If anyone’s interested you can reach me at doradexplorer_101@yahoo.com

the red pigment passing out during defecation is often known as Pseudohematuria, a harmless reddish discoloration in urine and faeces. i eat red dragon fruit everyday. sometimes i cut it into pieces but most oftenly i blend it into juice by adding little bit of water just to ensure it is not too muddy. I never added sugar because the fruit already has its own natural sweetness. If you guys thinking of trying this recipe please make sure don’t blend it for too long.

Glad to hear you guys like red dragon fruit so much. I love it too and take a fruit a day. I like to blend it as it make a very nice refreshing drink and the seed is broken up to ease absorbtion of it anti oxidant.

Where can i get Dragon Fruit? I had it for breakfast everyday in China a few weeks ago. I have never felt better. My stomach was not bloated the whole week. I loved it. It tasted like a giant kiwi fruit and wasn’t near the work to get my fill!! I live in MS. is there a dealer near?

I love red dragon fruit and while my stools do appear to have the red pigment several hours after eating, the benefits of this fruit outweighs the colour. Dark pigmented fruits and vegetables have strong anti-cancer properties and since it is also rumoured to bring down the blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes (which I suffer from), I eat red dragon fruit as often as I can. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good, natural antioxidant… Be healthy.. eat more red dragonfruit. :-)

After tasting the white flesh (red skin) pitaya once, I developed an aversion to the fruit.. However, I recently saw my younger sister hogging down a whole red fleshed pitaya… I decided to give it another go… and now I’m addicted!
However, I still have an aversion to the white-fleshed variety…

i quite like the white flesh variety, but i just had the red for the very first time…best i have ever tasted. will surely be hoping to find more of the red flesh variety available here in Australia in the future.

I look thru the web saying dragon fruits will make us increase our mentalbolism. Hence, i eat 1 whole pc per day for 2mths but i realised it oso increase my menstrual from 2x per months instead of one.

I had nvr tried the yellow skinned and wld be interested to tried it..aniwae,for your info, the fruits itself came from cactus..but comparing the white and red-fleshed dragon fruits, the red one is better, especially for woman due to the high content of anti-oxidence.

As told by the fruit vendors that I always visited, the fruit should not be eaten in whole at one go. If you do then,it explains the red coloration in your urine. It is best to have the fruit split into half and eat it separately.As for myself, I ate it half in the morning or for lunch and the other after dinner. Then there wont be coloration and our body absorbs more of the nutrients.

I was at Farmers Market and didn’t bother to buy Dragon Fruit even though there are a lot available. The fruits were not a good quality; the majority were soft when you try to press you thumb on the fruit. If there is a firm one, they usually are small. That’s why I decided to plant my own Dragon Fruit.

My name is James.
I would like to know what are the verities of Pitaya available trough from your farm?
Would you sell cuttings? How much would you sell for bulk purchase?
Hope you answer all of my questions.
pls reply to Nayzaw888@gmail.com
Greatly appreciated!
James

hello everybody, my name is Wong from subang usj. the supermarket i usually go and buy my stuffs is currently having a red dragon fruit promotion. sold by RM3.99/kg, it may sound nothing special but if you are a regular buyer i’m sure you must be aware of the market selling price. what surprises me is that the dragon fruits are pretty big in size and you can choose by your own. each can weight up to 750gm. i bought 2 whole red dragon fruits and it costs me about RM5.60, which means it is RM2.80 each!! if you were to buy this at other stores like tesco, jaya grocer or carrefour, i think they sell it at RM5.00-RM7.00 per piece of similar size! again, these are all medium – big size RED dragon fruit, not the white flesh type. today i bought another 8 pieces and keep them in my fridge, that would last within a week.

btw, i don’t think the red dragon fruit is a genetically modified product. you can’t simply alter the information inside the DNA to make it produce red-colored pigment. even if it’s true then from what source did they obtain the genetic code to combine with the DNA of dragon fruit? it must have been either cross-breed or existed in nature as it is.

Hi
I want to know red dragon fruits multiplied on culture medium (MS).
And dragon fruit plants grown on soil but use in light. (it control red dragon fruit’s off years season products)
Thanks u very much I’m mann in Myanmar
if u can pls write mesnowingparadize@gmail.com

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In this the fruit and vegetables are first ground and then the juice is forwarded with the help of
a strainer which revolves at a very high rpm. Most high functioning juicers will cost somewhere in the range of $200 to $2,000.
Most lower- and medium-end juicers on the market use the centrifugal method.